


Shifting Shadows: A Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness Sequel

by Pavel_Lesnitsky



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Colosseum & XD
Genre: Adventure, Original Character(s), Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Journey, Slow Burn, Spelling & Grammar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26203090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pavel_Lesnitsky/pseuds/Pavel_Lesnitsky
Summary: This takes place about three years after the events of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and details the story of a new trainer, Hakins, trying to get his first Pokemon in a region that was once devoid of any Wild Pokemon. However, the resurgence of Cipher threatens to derail not just Hakins' adventure, but the whole of the Orre Region once more. Hakins - flanked by his good friend and a man mountain - must not only grow as a Trainer, but as an adolescent amidst a dangerous and tactful adversary in order to emerge victorious.Note: For any readers not familiar with the story of the Colosseum and XD games, this story goes over any relevant information of those throughout, and is still worth checking out. I've worked incredibly hard on this, and hope that you find as much enjoyment in reading it as I have writing it.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1: The Cable Snaps

I awoke to my alarm buzzing on my phone. Still face-down in my bed, I blindly ran my hand across my nightstand. After a couple of seconds, I found my phone, and pressed the power button a couple of times. By now, I mustered the energy to flip onto my back and stared at the ceiling fan spinning above me.

A small amount of light shone through my window, as the sun was still rising above the crest of the skyline. It was an early morning ritual for me, to look at the ceiling fan and remember how completely unenthusiastic I was about having to do Battle SIMs again. Battle SIMs were an alternative to actual Pokemon battling, developed in Orre due to a serious lack of wild Pokemon to catch and battle with, and was designed to put rookie trainers like myself through battle scenarios to prepare for the real thing. I had found over the past couple of months, however, that it wasn’t engaging for me. It wasn’t the challenge of the scenarios that drove me nuts, but the disconnect came when I would start to enjoy myself. Right when I would feel more immersed in the battle and try to encourage the Pokemon that I was using, I’d feel stupid as the “Pokemon” would not respond in any way. It would eventually end up the same way, too; my lack of concentration would lead to me failing the simulation, and when the instructor would try to figure out what was going on, I would simply tell him that I “wasn’t ready for something this challenging”, knowing how flimsy my real reason would be to him.

It worked well at first in shortening the time I had to spend at the SIM center, but backfired later when my parents heard about how terribly I was doing in SIM training. As a result, I had to wake up extra early to log in more training time. I wanted to be direct with the instructor, and tell him that I didn’t want to continue doing Battle SIMs, but it was pretty much the closest thing to Pokemon that I could get on the island. I also couldn’t help but wonder if Pokemon battling was really my passion, and so tried each session to “picture this in real life”. No dice.

After about five minutes of looking up at the spinning of the fan blade, I got out of bed. Checking the time on my phone revealed that it was 5:45 AM. I walked over to my dresser and changed into the usual. Tan shorts, a simple black T-shirt, and a grey and black long sleeve shirt over it. Stepping over to the right of the dresser, I looked at myself in the mirror; my black hair was disheveled, spiking in every which direction as it always did, the lighting was nicer this morning too, as my hazel eyes shined back at me through my reflection where they would normally appear brown. Satisfied with how I looked, I threw some black sneakers on and quietly made my way to the front door (I had no interest in eating breakfast and my parents were still asleep). I grabbed my bag on the way out, making sure to fill it with random things to snack on later. As hard as I tried to rush through the Battle SIMs, they tended to go into the afternoon.

After closing the door behind me, I broke into a sprint as I made my way towards the simulation building. I figured that running a bit would make the whole day seem less depressing than it was going to be.

It was another warm morning on Citadark Isle, and within minutes I was building up a sweat. As my feet crunched the uneven volcanic rock below me, I reminded myself that these roads would one day be fully paved. People wanted to live here, after all, to get away from the more unsavory characters inland in the Orre region. Despite the island’s dubious history, anything closer to water seemed enough incentive for people to want to move there. So much so that there was already a Battle SIM building stationed here.

Keeping a jogging pace to account for my lackluster stamina, I arrived at the Battle SIM building just after 6AM. To make sure that I would be getting the best education in battles, my parents went the extra mile and paid for private lessons with a middle-aged man by the name of Salvator. He wore the standard Battle SIM outfit, consisting of a blue jacket and brown cargo pants, except that he earned the right to wear a brown duster (I had no idea why these facilities allocated such a thing to higher ups). His face was a tad wrinkled, but the extreme handlebar mustache -which extended to the sides of his face just below the ears- and slicked back hair seemed to be a poor attempt at appearing younger. Instead, he ended up looking like a rejected Yugioh villain.

I entered the simulation center. Given the early hour at which I was scheduled, the main lobby was devoid of people, except Janice (the attendant lady), who was busy getting the routine morning emails out of the way. I waved to her as I passed by.

“Same room as always, I assume?” I asked.

The older woman smiled.

“You have a funny way of making small talk with me, sweetie.” she replied. “But yes, he’s in Room 4 as always. Try and at least pretend to be excited this time. Salvator tells me he worked especially hard on these ones.”

The parting comment makes me nervous, but I had learned at that point that the most important thing was keeping my spirits high. If they deflated this early, then I would surely disappoint today.

I was forced to stare right at him when I reached the appropriate simulation room. He looked at me with his small eyes (too bad he couldn’t fit glasses over the massive moustache) and then looked away again….just the usual.

“I...I...I’m sorry...w-whatever it is…” I told him, although through the heavy breathing and my head down with my hands on my knees, it came out like panting

Salvator took another long sigh and ran his fingers through his inhuman moustache. This was a telltale sign that a lecture was coming my way.

“Attendance is not the issue, Hakins,” he began. “Almost two months of my career has been wasted.”

And that was just the usual. It was hard enough to fail at something many others half my age had accomplished. But to see the impact it was having on Salvator made getting up in the morning for this so much worse.

“I’m feeling good about this today. I think I can do it, so let’s stop wasting your time.” I said, my heart sinking a little when my empowering statement clearly fell flat.

Salvator sighed once again, and walked over to the console controlling the Battle SIMs.

“We shall see, Hakins.” he replied curtly.

Entering a Battle SIM was quite simple. A large cylindrical chamber was stationed next to the console that Salvator was at. I simply walked in, hooked up headgear that was wired to the SIM chamber, and waited for my vision to change from the exit of the SIM room to whatever lesson Salavator was teaching me today.

My eyes opened to see that the Battle SIM had begun. I was now in a rocky outcropping in the middle of the desert. Rocks flanked this circular battlefield. Looking to my left, I saw a Ponyta model, rigid and unmoving. Across from me was a Shedinja, static in front of a generic human model whose comedic appeal had long since been lost on me.

The sound of static in my ear indicated that Salvator was hooked up to communications.

“Alright Hakins,” Salvator began. “I hope your good feelings are well founded, because this lesson involves type-immunity based Pokemon abilities. I’m sure you’re familiar with Shedinja, so this will be your warm up.”

I looked back across at my awkwardly stiff opponent. I knew its ability was Wonder Guard, so I couldn’t help but feel like this was a walk in the park.

“You have two additional Pokemon waiting in your party, should you need them. Alright, begin!”

“Alright Ponyta!” I exclaimed. “Use-”

“Tone down on the theatrics.” Salvator interjected. “They haven’t helped you so far, and won’t help you much now.”

I pushed down my irritation at the snide comment, and repeated my command at a monotone volume. Flame Wheel was my choice.

Instead of Ponyta charging up a flame wheel through a rolling motion like on TV, however, Ponyta merely teleported next to Shedinja, and executed a poorly textured fire flip. Shedinja let out a pre-recorded cry, and sunk into the terrain. I sighed.

_ Why did I think today would be any different,  _ I thought, waiting for the next challenger.

“Not bad,” Salvator’s voice rung in my ear. “Your next opponent is a Bronzong.”

  
On cue, Bronzong’s model materialized out of thin air.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head, and I wanted to prove to Salvator that I did have what it took.

“Flame wheel,” I declared, pointing towards Bronzong.

Ponyta once again teleported to the other side of the battlefield, except this time the attack passed right through the bell Pokemon. Bronzong followed up with an Earthquake, and Ponyta sank into the ground just like Shedinja had.

_ This is gonna be another long day _ , I thought, readying myself to send out my next Pokemon. However, something different happened.

I felt the familiar sensation of the SIM link being removed, and I was suddenly looking back at the SIM room. I blinked a couple of times, a look of confusion on my face.

Salvator gestured for me to step out. I froze at first, anxious about the implications of a very early stop. I found my footing after a moment, though and moved to face the SIM instructor once I removed the headgear. There was a prolonged moment of silence, and Salvator’s unwavering glare had my hands in a slight tremble. I couldn’t help but envision the scenario that had been keeping me up at night for months, where this distinguished SIM Master would tell me that I’m not cut out to be a Trainer in Orre.

“Did you know that Bronzong’s ability was Heatproof?” he asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. There was no attitude in his tone this time. Just curiosity.

I stared back at him.

“I knew it was a possibility, but I thought it could’ve been Levitate too…” I said quietly. I didn’t know why that simple question had me on edge.

“Hmm…”

Salvator’s gaze was still locked on me, and I felt like two tiny drills were boring their way into my mind, inspecting the thoughts and feelings that I had on Battle SIMs.

Salvator turned away from me after a few moments.

“I don’t think you’re being entirely honest with me.” he stated.

I felt my chest tighten.

“I…” I trailed off, unable to muster a response.

Salvator tapped his fingers lightly against his chin for a moment, and then suddenly turned to face me. This sudden movement made me step back a bit. This was unusual behavior, even for Salvator: something was definitely different this time.

“Let’s shift gears for a moment, Hakins. Tell me, why do arrive on time for these lessons?” he asked.

“I heard that correctly, right?” I replied, completely taken aback by the question.

“I can guarantee that you heard the question in its entirety.” he assured me.

“Okay, um...” It was hard for me to respond with the massive moustached man towering well over half a foot over me. After a deep breath, I continued.

“Well, I do it because I’m supposed to, and so that I don’t waste your time and be rude in the process.” I replied.

Salvator turned away from me again, and started pacing around the large SIM room.

“So, when you come here on time every day and make me arrange a simulation specifically catered to you, and fail time and time again, is that not precisely what you say you wish to avoid?”

Salvator took a moment to rub his eyes, and at this point I was standing up and seized the opportunity to respond

“Sir, I try my hardest, I really do! But it’s just that-”

“No Hakins, you don’t try at all!” his response was loud enough to make me stop what I was saying.

“Look, I may not be a SIM instructor awash with people skills, but I am not blind. I’ve had a couple of months of data on your repeated failures to see a couple of patterns.”

He began to pace.

“There is a precise point in which your simulation sessions turn from promising to failure. During these sessions, you seem to both know the fundamentals well and make careless mistakes with no regard to them. There is some intentional reason behind this shift, and if you actually want to train Pokemon, you need to tell me what that is. We cannot make progress here if you’re not being candid with me.”

I was seriously debating what to say next. If I told him the truth, that I saw no use to the classes, then he would surely let my parents know (who had both benefitted tremendously from the Battle SIMs), and I would be unable to convince them that I actually had what it took to be a Pokemon trainer. If I lied, then I would be stuck in SIM training for the foreseeable future and lose the small amount of faith that Salvator still had in me. Either way, I had to make a choice.

“These SIM battles feel far too artificial to me, Salvator,” I began.

Salvator’s expression became more intense, but there was no going back now.

“I’m trying to do different things because all I see in real battles are quick decisions. Clever uses of fields or moves or whatever else beyond just type matchups. Beyond just one supereffective move sweeping a team or viable movesets for Pokemon. It doesn’t feel right.”

Salvator ran his right hand through his moustache.

“This does not explain why you’d use Flame Wheel on a Pokemon with Heatproof, as opposed to switching into a different one with a Ghost or Dark type move. Real life or not, that move would not damage Bronzong.”

A part of me wanted to lie; to say that I just wasn’t thinking straight. But I was at a point where the words were just coming out. It had been unimaginably hard to keep this quiet for so long.

“I wasn’t trying to damage Bronzong. I thought, since Bronzong looked so bulky, that I could easily knock it off balance with a direct attack, and then do real damage once it was on its...heels.” I mentally scolded myself for my word choice at this moment.

Salvator paused briefly from his pacing and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Bronzong weighs approximately 412lbs. By your logic, how would a Ponyta, whose weight is a mere 66lbs., do anything to it?”

“Look, I know that it didn’t make the most sense, but to be honest, neither do these simulations. I feel like if I ever want to become a good Pokemon Trainer, I’ve at least gotta try something different. But at this rate I-”

I could already feel myself getting emotional. All the momentum of vocalizing my qualms with battling was lost as I began to comprehend the potential consequences of my words.

Salvator stopped pacing, his expression softening. He sauntered to the corner of the SIM room, bringing two chairs over. He motioned for me to sit down in one of them. I gladly sat down, so that I was now directly across from the instructor. We sat there in silence for a few moments.

“Hakins, we are on the verge of actually making progress.” Salvator said, clenching his fists and breaking the silence. “Normally, I would encourage my students to only share what they were comfortable with, but please do not let a chair stop this breakthrough. Or would you rather not become what you are telling me you want to?”

“Okay...alright,” I replied, taking a deep breath.

I had never shared these thoughts out loud before, and the idea of saying what I was about to say to a man who had spent his life involved in Simulation Battling was nerve wracking. Still, it was now or never.

“It’s just that I can’t see the real value of these Battle Simulations. I know that you strongly disagree with that statement, and I know that you can quote some great success stories from a bunch of editorials, but can you hear me out?”

Salvator nodded in response.

“When my father tells me about his experiences as a Pokemon Trainer, he always stresses that a bond between people and Pokemon can be strong enough to defy odds and disprove what is normally certain. These simulations seem to be the opposite of that. It’s just all about the type matchups and whatever the hell “base stats” are. I may not have my own Pokemon yet, but I believe that encouragement will be just as important as strength, and that Pokemon should not be treated like…like…”

“Tools for battle.” Salvator added, once again running his right hand along his moustache.

I nodded, feeling reassured that my point was making sense to the SIM Master.

“I want to travel the region like others my age can. I want to meet new Pokemon, and learn more about the region I’ve lived in all of my life…”

I paused for a moment.

“I just think that there is so much more to the world of Pokemon than set battling.”

Salvator looked away for a moment, and then stood up from his chair. A small smile had formed on his face.

“Hakins, I believe that simulations will not be of use to you in your journey to understand Pokemon. Therefore, I am to assume that you are a person of action.” Salvator said, walking over to one of the file cabinets in the room.

From it, he pulled out two round balls, making sure to blow the dust off of them. He made his way back over to me, and tossed one of the balls at me. I caught it, and took a look.

“Salvator? Are these...” I trailed off, ready to be stunned if my guess was correct. I knew what they were, but this unexpected turn of events had me second-guessing what I was seeing.

“Yes, Hakins,” Salvator said, his smile widening. “These are Poke Balls, with Pokemon contained within. You and I are having a Pokemon Battle; no simulations and no more excuses.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post chapters sporadically, as this story is being written as I type this last piece. I have a few more chapters of this in the ol' vault, so write a review, and I'd really love to know what you think. Stay safe and have a great day!


	2. Chapter 2: The Flame Ignites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakins goes head to head with Salvator in his first ever Pokemon Battle! Will Hakins outmaneuver the data-driven SIM Master, or be taken down by his calculating style?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to add certain recommended soundtracks or themes for certain parts of my story. They'll be in bold and parentheses, and they're just a recommendation in the end. That being said, enjoy!

I couldn’t believe it. Even as we made our way to one of the island’s many empty dirt lots, I kept subtly pinching myself, thinking that I would just wake up and find myself staring at my ceiling fan again. There were a lot of open spaces like these on Citadark. In half a decade’s time, Orre hoped for Citadark to become a luxury housing area and, according to my father, almost a dozen families had already staked their claim on the Isle.

We walked for about an hour, with Salvator trying to find the perfect empty lot. His tiny black eyes squinted, as he seemed to be doing mental simulations of his own to find the optimal battlefield. Eventually, he settled on a dirt lot with two under-construction houses on either side. The foreman there gave the all-clear, but asked that the workers be able to watch the battle. Salvator happily agreed, but my nerves weren’t having any of it. Just that morning I was ready to be strapped into a pod and fail a few simulations; this was a lot different.

The workers drew lines of a normal battlefield in the dirt, and gathered around the large lot. This particular group of houses overlooked the ocean, and with the blazing early afternoon sun and shot up nerves, I was building up a sweat before the battle even started. I had never been in a real Pokemon battle prior to this, so I only had the words of my dad and the simulations to work off of. In an effort to calm myself down, I thought about the things that my father had told me about Pokemon battles.

_ Well Son, in a Pokemon battle each trainer sends out one or more of their Pokemon. When the referee declares the battle to begin, you engage your opponent until either one or all of one person’s Pokemon are unable to continue. Then a winner is decided. _

Even though I was discouraged about having ever forgotten those details in the first place, they were the things that I could latch onto as I stood in my position. It felt like I could close my eyes, and still be conscious of where every worker was staring at me from. I kept quiet, putting my hands in my pockets so that people couldn’t see that they were shaking.

The head foreman stood at the edge of the arena, between me and Salvator. I assumed that he was going to be the referee. Looking at the opponent for my first ever battle, I saw an unusual amount of enthusiasm from Salvator.

“Well Hakins, it is time for a real lesson in the world of Pokemon!” Salvator exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. This caused the surrounding workers to holler and pound their fists against the walls of the houses. When Salvator saw how nervous I looked, his expression softened a bit.

“Hakins, being nervous is natural. But for the sake of the Pokemon which you wield now, your commands must be confident. The Pokemon within that ball is one that will help me know just how well you paid attention in last week’s Normal-type simulations…”

The SIM master smirked.

“...Before you gave up, that is.”

At saying this, a heavily bearded foreman loudly voiced an  _ Ooooh _ , causing his friend next to him to slug him in the arm. This caused an uproar of workers demanding that the battle start. The strangers cheered me on, and it was their voices that gave me the confidence to look Salvator directly in the eyes.

“Sir, I didn’t give up. I was just waiting for a moment like this. Foreman, sir, let’s get this show on the road.”

The awkwardness of saying that quickly vanished when the bearded foreman shouted,

“I like the way this kid thinks. Start things up Don!”

After Don managed to hush the crowd, he spoke.

“Trainers,” he said, gesturing at us, “and ladies,” he said, pointing at all of his workers.

A brief spurt of laughter shook the crowd.

“This will be a 1 on 1 Pokemon Battle! The battle will be over when one trainer’s Pokemon is unable to continue. Trainers! Go to the center of the battlefield and shake hands!”

As I made my way over to Salvator, my adrenaline was pumping and excitement surged through my veins. In my eagerness I shook his hand a little too hard, but when I looked at Salvator crack a grin, that handshake was a thing of the past. We made our way back to our respective sides. Don continued:

“Trainers! Please bring out your Pokemon!” he yelled.

As I wasted time wondering which Pokemon I was holding, Salvator was already prepared.

“Of course Don! Girafarig, let’s GO!” Salvator underhanded the Poke Ball and out came Girafarig, looking ready to battle.

Not wanting to delay the battle any longer, I gripped the Poke Ball in my hands. I was pretty good at throwing things, so a Poke Ball was no different.

“Alright, let’s go Pokemon!” I yelled awkwardly, throwing the Ball. From the ball, a Kecleon emerged, also looking like it was raring to go.

“You’ve battled with this Pokemon in simulations before!” Salvator yelled. “Let’s just hope that you remember some of its moves.”

“No more chit-chat,” Don said. “Battle begin!”

**(Play Rider Willie Theme from Pokemon Colosseum)**

“The first move is mine!” yelled Salvator. “Girafarig, use Tackle!”

At saying this, his Pokemon began charging towards Kecleon at full speed. I panicked for a moment.

“Kecleon dodge-” I was too slow.

Girafarig hit my Pokemon head-on, causing Kecleon to lose its balance and tumble back towards me.

“Kecleon! No!” I had just looked at it, forgetting that I was in the middle of a battle.

Things snapped into reality at that moment. This was nothing like a couple of sprites beating each other senselessly without dodging. This was dynamic, and I had to get my head in the game quickly.

“If you will not make a move, then I will have to! Girafarig! Zen Headbutt now!” Salvator commanded, and once again Girafarig charged straight towards Kecleon, the top of its white head pulsating with energy.

“Kecleon, please get up!” I shouted.

Hearing my calls, the chameleon Pokemon sprung up.

“Alright, Kecleon, dodge that!” I said more confidently.

Kecleon blended in with the ground a bit and snaked to the side, causing Girafarig to lose its balance and tumble in the dirt. This maneuver got the group of workers riled up, and the bearded man’s friends were struggling to hold him back from running into the arena.

Salvator straightened out his duster. “Well well well! That was good Hakins! But in battle, Pokemon must use their moves. Girafarig! Use-”

“Alright! Use Camouflage to protect yourself” I interrupted. Kecleon immediately disappeared into the ground.

“Not good enough!” Salvator replied, his right hand twiddling his moustache. “Now use Odor Sleuth!”

Girafarig closed its eyes and lowered its head. I was utterly baffled by Salvator’s tactic.

But there wasn’t time to think about that. I ran through a list of common moves in my head, and threw out a guess.

“Kecleon? Can you use Double Team?” I asked.

My question was quickly answered, as small apparition-like shapes began duplicating and darting all across the battlefield. Workers in the crowd were startled by the snake-like figures, and the bearded worker screamed and fell backwards.

My confidence was through the roof! Not only was Kecleon unable to be seen, but with Double Team used, it would be almost impossible for Girafarig to land an attack. Soon, the battle would-

“I think that it’s time to wrap this up, Hakins!” Salvator announced, snapping me from my thoughts. “Girafarig, Zen Headbutt, full power!”

The ferocity of his command completely threw me off guard. I had no idea why he would do that. There was no chance of his Pokemon landing that. Then it happened.

“Gir-Afa-RIG!”

Girafarig then threw an extremely powerful Zen Headbutt at one of the dozens of shifting copies of Kecleon. The result was a massive shockwave that sent the dirt of the lot into a storm, blinding everybody including me.

“Kecleon!” I yelled through the thick dirt cloud.

**(End)**

Eventually the dust settled, and Kecleon was on its back in a small crater that was once a flat lot.

“Kecleon is unable to continue!” Don yelled out. “Girafarig wins, which means that the match goes to Salvator!”

There were hoots and hollers all around, but the only thing that I could think of was how utterly I failed. The loss itself wasn’t something that I really cared too much about; the well-being of Kecleon was far more important to me. I rushed over to the crater and held Kecleon in my arms.

“Kecleon? Kecleon, are you okay?” I asked, feeling guilty over what had happened.

“Kec-leon,” the Pokemon responded, trying to assure me that it was fine.

“That was quite a battle, Hakins.” I turned to see Salvator and Girafarig behind me. Girafarig was enjoying a scratching under the chin that the SIM Master was giving it.

“You did great Girafarig.” Salvator said warmly. “Now return.” With a click on the Poke Ball, the victorious Pokemon was sent back in a red flash. With that being taken care of, Salvator crouched by me.

“Will Kecleon be alright?” I asked feebly.

“He will be fine,” Salvator assured me, “It would help if you returned Kecleon to its Poke Ball to heal. That is what is best for him.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “Alright Kecleon, thanks for everything. Please try to rest now.”

After saying that, I clicked the button on the back of the Ball, and Kecleon was returned just like Girafarig. Don and the workers approached us shortly after, giving me pats on the back and congratulating me on a fiery first battle. I didn’t feel that way though.

“Salvator, I’ll go back to doing simulations now. You’ve proven that they work after all.”

“Hakins,” Salvator replied. “I don’t think you quite understand, so let me explain.” 

He turned to the workers, who were tightly huddled around them.

“You can hear what I have to say too, but give us some breathing room, for crying out loud!”

“You heard ‘em boys!” Don said loudly. “Back it up!”

The workers took a few steps back, and then sat down in the dirt, clearly interested in what Salvator had to say.

“Alright, now that I can breathe...” Salvator took a breath, and then his gaze returned back onto me.

“When I first met you, Hakins, your passion for Pokemon seemed up front and center, and I was surprised that you might actually need private lessons. And then when your simulations went so horribly, I was quite confused. It seemed to be an impossible contradiction.”

At saying this, he tapped one of his index fingers against his forehead. 

“To be entirely honest with you, I had no idea what I was going to do about it. The simulations that I set up did not work at all because I was trying to mold them to the traditional model of student I’m accustomed to working with. In order to determine a better path forwards, I had to give you the day off so that I could examine ALL of your previous simulation footage. You remember the unusual call, right?” I nodded. 

It was just another morning of looking at the fan when my mother knocked on the door, and said that I wouldn’t have to go to simulation training that day. At first I assumed that I had gotten in trouble for something that I wasn’t aware of, but then I realized that it had to be of some importance in order to make Mom wake up that early. With the realization that I wouldn’t have to go fail another simulation, I gladly played Assassin’s Creed and just relaxed the day away.

"After lengthy examination I had my suspicions,” Salvator continued. “This was a means of making sure that I knew what was amiss. I determined that we would battle here before you even walked in.”

I smiled at that. As far as I had known prior, the last thing Salvator wanted to do was invest time outside of our sessions trying to help me.

“How did you know?” I asked.

“I did not know before our battle, but if there is one thing I’ve learned in my years as a SIM Master, it’s that battles are a great lens into the mind of Trainers. Let me say that I am glad that you proved today that my faith in you was well placed. Now, let’s talk about our battle. How do you think it went, Hakins?”

“That battle was fiery!” one worker shouted.

“I’ve seen them on TV, but being there for one was something else.” replied another.

“Since when did the Instructor say that he cared about what you lugs thought?” Don growled. “Shut up and let the kid talk!”

Dozens of pairs of eyes locked on me, waiting for me to reply. The pressure for me to speak made me only say the question that was on my mind.

“How?” I asked Salvator. “How did you hit Kecleon with Zen Headbutt? Not only was he camouflaged, but I set up a Double Team too! I may be new to real battling, but I  _ know _ that evasiveness that high makes hits nearly impossible!”

Salvator smiled. “Do you remember when I had Girafarig use Odor Sleuth?”

I nodded.

“The move Odor Sleuth has more than one effect, Hakins. In addition to allowing Normal-type moves to hit Ghost-types, which I am sure that you knew already, it also-”

“Guaranteed that the an evasive target could be hit.” I finished, realizing how dumb I was for not figuring that out in the moment.

“Correct. Now, Odor Sleuth takes time to use. However, rather than capitalizing on that by attacking, you instead went completely defensive, trying to guarantee Kecleons safety. Am I right so far?”

Once again, I could only nod. Salvator looked affectionately at the Pokeball he had been gesturing with while he was talking, and finally secured them in his duster.

“Now I understand the importance of defense. But if you do not believe in your Pokemon, nor trust that it will do its best when attacking, then you will struggle to win battles. Offense can be best defense Hakins, and this old phrase holds true for a reason. Remember what you have learned today, and continue to grow from it.”

I could feel myself getting frustrated. Was this it? Would I have to go right back to doing simulations again the day after? No. I couldn’t.

Don checked his watch. “Alright, boys! Back to work, all of you! Who knows, maybe if you actually put some effort into it, we could have some more battles on this empty lot.”

And just like that, the workers were back to building the houses. After thanking the workers for being a great crowd, and trying to stay upright while having my hand shaken by the bearded worker, we began the walk back to the SIM Center. Away from the crowd of spectators, I spoke.

“Salvator, what do I do now? After having a real Pokemon Battle, I don’t think I can ever go back to doing simulations again.”

Salvator, not looking in my direction, raised an eyebrow. I was not done speaking, however.

“I know that I have a lot to learn about Pokemon and battling, but this is the first time that I’ve felt like this. The feelings...adrenaline, excitement, confusion...even the sting of defeat. I know that this might come off as self-centered, but I want to continue to feel this way, alongside Pokemon.” 

Salvator stopped walking, and turned to look at me.

“Hakins, if this is what you truly want, then say it with heart!” He said loudly, clenching his fists. “Do you want to do this? Then look me in the eyes and tell me, Hakins! Show me this passion that you speak of!”

I was taken aback by the energy resonating from Salvator. I didn’t know where he was going with this, but I wasn’t going to back down.

“I want to become a Pokemon Trainer!” I yelled, looking the veteran instructor directly in the eyes. My voice echoed through the peaks of the isle.

Salvator smiled, and put his left hand in his duster pocket, pulling out a closed envelope.

“I will never doubt your passion again. Take this,” he said, putting the envelope in my hands.

“What is-”

Salvator clearly anticipated me having a question, and swiftly interrupted.

“Bring that letter to your parents. What I wrote in said letter is permission to end all simulation lessons and begin the very journey that you desire. When we reach the Simulation Center, I have a few more things to give you.”

After saying this, he turned and began jogging. A lot had just happened. My first battle and a heart to heart with the coldest person that I had known. There was too much excitement ahead to have gotten bogged down in overthinking, though. I loved a good run, so I took off after him, excited for what the future held.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really getting back into writing this story again, so much so that I have a bunch of chapters in the 'ol vault right now. If you have the time, leave a review, and have an awesome rest of your day!


	3. Chapter 3: Stocking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Hakins' first Pokemon battle, his world has opened up, and on the horizon lies exciting adventures yet to be had. To do so, he needs a place to start, and people to start with.

Awhile later, both me and Salvator were collapsed on the gravel road, one of the many that snaked around Citadark Isle. The shape of the island gave these roads an amazing view of the shining blue sea from all sides. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, giving the azure water a reflection so bright that I had to avert my eyes. The blazing Orre Sun had quickly depleted our energy, and we were both wiping sweat from our foreheads. The short run had also drained all of the after-battle adrenaline from me, but the excitement of potentially becoming a Trainer was still strong as ever.

“Salvator…” I said, still concentrating on slowing down my breathing. “Why in the world are you...still...wearing that duster?”

Salvator, admiring the sea, turned his head towards me. He chuckled.

“Allow me to counter one absurd question with another. Hakins, do you care about Pokemon?”

I shook my head and scoffed, not feeling the need to answer that question again. Salvator cracked a grin and began using his left hand to roll the tips of his moustache between his fingers. 

“See? Your love for Pokemon in your mind is so irrefutably unwavering that it seems tone deaf to question, yes?” 

He stopped adjusting his moustache. 

“And now that you have tasted the pinnacle of connection between Pokemon and Trainer, you will pursue your newly empowered dream alongside Pokemon. The same goes for this.” Salvator straightened out his duster using both hands. I stared at it, noting the torn and restitched parts and wondering how those came to be.

“While quite rudimentary, this article of clothing symbolizes reaching the pinnacle of my craft as a SIM Master. Although it is true that this is simply a duster, Hakins, it is a part of my story.” He smiled warmly. “Just as our battle will be a part of yours.”

I pondered what he said for a moment, looking down at the numerous shades of black in the small rocks that made up the road. Then I began to chuckle. I slowly lost control and began to laugh out loud. Salvator looked at me quizzically, clearly confused.

“Um…Hakins?” he began, standing up. After a moment of silence, and a coughing spurt that finally settled me down, he spoke again.

“Now…I am not known for understanding the humor of adolescents, but as far as I know, nothing remotely pertaining to anything sexual or other things of that sort have occurred, and…” Salvator held his left elbow in his right hand, stroking his protruding facial hair. This was clearly confusing him, as he was doing his iconic thinking posture.

“You know why I’m laughing Salvator?” I finally said. I cracked a grin as the SIM master’s gaze snapped back to me, desperate for an answer. He gestured for me to go on.

“Let’s be honest here. You wear that to look cool, don’t you?

I looked to him for a reaction, but instead saw him looking away from me and towards the direction that led to the SIM center, running his hands through his slicked-back hair anxiously.

“Hakins, what are you doing still sitting on this road?” he said, his gaze still averted from mine. “We should make haste for the Center of Simulations. Or would you rather halt your journey for as long as humanly possible to broach such an absurd question?”

At saying this, he began to walk down the road towards the center. I quickly got up and jogged to catch up to him, the gravel crunching beneath my feet and mingling with the soft sound of the water below.

There was silence as we made our way back, until the awkwardness of it all finally got to Salvator.

“Yes, Hakins.” he said, sighing as he spoke. “This duster is…aesthetically pleasing.” And with that, the rest of our walk was spent talking about the amazing world of Pokemon and the traits that made them awesome.

* * *

Some time later we were back within the cool confines of the SIM lab, inside of Salvator’s SIM room. I was sitting in one of the chairs adorning the SIM chamber, sitting the opposite way to place my head in my arms, which were perched on the top rail. I liked the feel of these chairs. Agate Mahogany was the best kind of wood found in the primarily desert Orre region. It was also incredibly comfortable.

I watched with narrowed eyes as Salvator rummaged through the filing cabinets on the other side of the room. I generally settled into the rhythm of all of the noises. The sounds of electricity running through the facility were quieted but noticeable. The closing and opening of disorganized filing cabinets produced the satisfying sounds of basic machinery at work and the clanging of objects.

My attention was brought back when Salvator sauntered back over, dragging one of the file drawers with him. After smoothing out his moustache, he spoke.

“I apologize for the ruckus, Hakins. I received these from Professor Krane quite some time ago, and then I realized that I did not really need such equipment in my lab, so I considered selling it. And then I promptly resumed to misplace it on that day. Oh, I remember the panic that set over me-” 

He turned to me, and saw the nervous energy that made my right leg bounce and my body shudder.

“Oh, that’s all irrelevant though, isn’t it?” he adjusted his duster sheepishly. “Regardless, I am glad that these are still here. The equipment in this drawer shall be perfect for your journey, the starting point of which I will get to later. Alright, let’s begin with…”

Salvator rummaged through the drawer. I held back a sneeze from the dust, and could smell the “new” quality of the well-preserved items. Seconds later, the SIM master pulled out a small electronic device, about the size of my Xbox controller but far more narrow. I carefully took it from his hands. Two lights, both green and blue, flashed from its cover. I knew straight away that it was-

“Whoa! An actual Pokedex? No way!” I proclaimed, my entire body seeming to vibrate with excitement.

“Correct.” Salvator replied with a smile. “I’m glad to see that you appreciate the wonders of this device as much as I do. I believe that you are at the age to really use the Pokedex to its fullest potential. Now, thanks to the many trainers of other regions and the collaboration between professors, this is a  **complete** Pokedex. Unfortunately, due to the shadow crisis of old, no real studies of the region’s Pokemon have been conducted thoroughly. What we do know, however, is quite exciting.”

The incredibly tall SIM instructor stood up, clearly becoming elated just by explaining this.

“There has been a stir around the region recently, and that's because we have heard reports from trainers throughout Orre of Pokemon from all over the world popping up in our region! At least 50 from each region have been documented. I predict that soon our region will be visited by rookie trainers in search of an exciting journey of their own sometime in the future. As it stands now though, our more “down and dirty” sectors in the desert have spoiled the appeal.”

He seemed to calm down at saying this.

“For now though, you will have a fascinating experience compared to most trainers in Orre, who have normally brought their own Pokemon from other regions in search of battles. You, on the other hand, will get to experience the burst of wild Pokemon in Orre firsthand. Which brings me to the next two items that you will be receiving.”

After carefully placing the Pokedex in my backpack, I looked up again to see Salvator’s hands outstretched with more items.

“Ok. Please hold out your hands.”

I did as instructed.

“First off, here is a PDA. I know that the technology is a little older than what you’re used to, but it is a reliable tool in the field. It can receive and send emails faster than your phone, while sporting a battery that is solar rechargeable. This particular PDA has an electronic item storage system, which allows you to store items in what we researchers call “cyberspace”” 

He noticed the confused look on my face, and nodded.

“Cyberspace is the area where items are digitized, and able to be summoned in seconds with the press of a button. Keep in mind that the items should be, at the largest, the length and width of your two hands intertwined. Additionally, your PDA has one of the highest definition lenses to support holographic transmissions from long distance. I upgraded this particular tool so that you can send me photos of your findings. For strictly scientific purposes, of course.”

I rubbed my fingers over the PDA in my hand. It’s perfect condition came as a surprise, given that production was cut over two years ago following the introduction of smartphones. I placed this in my bag as well. In Salvator’s other hand were six Poke Balls, one of them being an oddly alluring black with an amber capsule edge.

“Salvator?” I asked, “What is this Poke Ball here? It’s quite cool looking, actually.”

“That, Hakins, is a Luxury Ball. Out in the desert wastelands, a Pokemon that you might want could exhibit excessive amounts of aggression towards you, and the Luxury Ball specializes in calming these Pokemon down, and making them a little more friendly towards you.”

I thought about it for a moment.

“That doesn’t seem right. It almost sounds like sedating a Pokemon. If it’s going to be aggressive then isn’t there surely a more humane way of dealing with it?”

Salvator grinned.

“Spoken like a true Trainer, Hakins. But I would suggest that you hold onto it. You never know what diversities might come at you during your journey. Now, let’s talk about where you will begin your Pokemon adventure, shall we?”

He gestured towards a map of Orre on the wall. I watched as he scanned the list of locations with his finger, seeming to be searching for one in particular. Eventually, he firmly pointed on a spot seemingly in the middle of the desert.

“Here! Hakins, you will journey to the Traveller’s Oasis. It was once a small spot where bait was necessary to acquire Pokemon, but thanks to conservation efforts, it has now become a sizable tropical ecosystem in the middle of the desolate wasteland. The Oasis is run by a few volunteers throughout the region, but recent electromagnetic abnormalities have made contact between these folks and the labs around the region impossible. So you will also be helping us by corresponding with them, and delivering us updates via your PDA. Nonetheless, this is where your journey will begin.”

“ _Us_ ?” I asked. “I didn’t know Battle SIM folk were so involved with Professors.”

Salvator gave Hakins a smile that seemed to hold a lot of history.

“Battle SIM technicians may not be, but  _ I  _ am.” he said, confidently running his hand through his hair.

“Ok, one more question:” I said. “Surely you’re too busy here to get all the way there and back. How am I going to get there on my own?”

Salvator stroked his preposterous moustache.

“Well, I thought about that. And I have recruited a person who can be your guide to the Oasis. Him and I were rebels back in the day of the First Shadow Incident, and together we purged all of the remnants of Cipher from the crooked streets of the Under. I was the brains, and this man-”

**“Was the brawn!”**

One of the sliding, solid metal door came flying off its hinges, crashing against the wall opposite to it. I shouted, startled by this sudden entry. From the main hall, a man walked in. Although, describing him as a man simply wouldn’t do him justice. He was something a step up from that.

He towered as tall as Salvator, but had a very muscular physique. He was adorned in an outfit that hodge-podged apocalyptic brown leather wear and various sashes and belts. Over these, he wore a sleeveless heavy brown coat with dirty white fur on the hood. He wore heavy duty combat pants and fingerless gloves, with combat boots tied up high. The belt on his waist contained two Poke Balls, and I didn’t even want to imagine the terrifying creatures within them. His outfit showed small amounts of skin in many areas, suggesting that it had undergone a variety of death-defying situations. His exposed arms were littered with scars. The lower half of his face was covered by a thick brown beard, and I found a pair of sharp icy blue eyes sizing me up. Atop his head, he wore a dark grey ushanka.

Overall, he was terrifying to be near. That is, until he uttered a hearty, deep laugh. Salvator, seeing the busted door, sighed.

“My old friend,” the SIM master said, voice muffled from his head being in his hands. “My chamber doors barely work due to the last two times that I’ve had to replace these. For all that is sacred to you, have some discipline and knock! And don’t say that it was to look “cool”. Gah, you’re unbelievable!”

The room fell quiet. Salvator turned to me, and let out another heavy sigh.

“My apologies for the outburst.” the instructor muttered something about damages under his breath, then cleared his throat. “Hakins, I would like you to meet Sergei. He is my most trusted friend, and he will provide you with the transportation required to reach your destination. Sergei, you may take it from here.”

The mountain of a man accepted my polite handshake with crushing strength. As he saw the unpleasant look on my face, he let loose a deep laugh.

“Hyello Hakins!” he said in a heavy Russian accent.

He paused for a moment.

“Ok. Introductions out of the way, here’s the plan.” he walked to the back of the room, in front of the map.

“I have a boat waiting for us down at the Citadark Docks. From there, we will ride to Gateon Port, where I have a vehicle parked. A friend of mine will take care of the boat, and we will drive straight into the desert, where the Traveller’s Oasis lies. The trip will be about two days travel, if we keep good pace and steer clear of nonsense. Be ready to leave tomorrow morning, as I expect you at the docks by 8.”

I felt a realization occur to me that felt obvious in hindsight.

“Sergei, I’d like to take somebody else along with me to the Oasis. He lives in Gateon Port, and he’ll make the mundane far more entertaining.”

Sergei ran his hand through his beard for a moment, his icy blue eyes straining as he thought about it. A moment later, he smiled.

“Alright! The more the merrier, ah? So, who will we be taking with us?”

“His name his Dustin,” I replied. “And he’s my most trusted friend…and my only friend really. He might want to catch some Pokemon too.”

“Sounds great,” Salvator added. “Experiences with Pokemon are always strengthened when alongside others.” 

He approached me and put his hand on my shoulder. 

“Now that everything is planned out, you should really be getting back home, Hakins. Make sure to get a good night’s sleep, and contact your friend. Make sure he is ready to meet you once you get to the truck, and no later. I do hate to delay you any longer from going out there and meeting your future partner, but there are other preparations to be made.”

Salvator and Sergei followed me out, and I stayed quiet as they caught up with each other. As we exited the SIM building, the sun was just beginning its descent. I waved goodbye to the two of them, and sprinted home, envelope in one hand, granola bar in the other, and the items fit for a trainer bouncing around in my bag.

_ Here we go _ , I thought to myself.  _ Things are about to get a lot more interesting. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am hoping that as I release more chapters of this that it might garner attention, and to those of you who have read up until this point, I really appreciate it. Plenty lies dormant in the ol' vault, so depending on viewership and feedback, I might put these out sooner or more sporadically. Have a great rest of your day!


	4. Chapter 4: The Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Hakins has a destination to be bound for in search of his first Pokemon, he must now take the night to prepare his things for an early morning departure. What was supposed to be a quiet night before his journey, however, proves to be quite the opposite.

Unfortunately, there was still another night before the real adventure began. Upon arriving home, I tried to explain the day to my parents. I fidgeted as I spoke, unsure of the response I’d get even with the envelope from Salvator. The three of us were in the spacious and modern living room. My parents were sitting next to each other on an L-Shaped couch, and I was on my own armchair directly across from them. I paid careful attention to their faces, looking for any distinction as to what they were thinking as they read over the letter.

_ Man, oh man,  _ I thought _. I really should have peeked at what the gist of the letter was. The SIM master had to have made it before we met this morning, so were some crucial details missed? _

I was snapped out of my thoughts when my father set the letter down on the coffee table. He raised his head, and looked directly at me, and I met his gaze with as much determination as I could muster. Sure, it was my father, but if this was some kind of test to see how committed I was to going through with this, then I had to prove myself.

Our eyes were locked for what felt like an eternity. No matter how hard I tried, I could not figure out what was going through his head. Was I winning? Or had his mind already been made up? He turned away and whispered something to Mom, too quiet for me to pick up from across the room. I adjusted my posture in the armchair, trying to remain as calm as possible.

My father leaned back against the couch and crossed his arms, a large smile on his face. He chuckled.

“This is wonderful, son! I knew that you had the fire for battle in you! Just like me and your mother when we were trainers!”

“And,” Mom chimed in, “after careful consideration, we have both agreed to let you should go through with this. We won’t stop you from experiencing the world of Pokemon, but if anything else happens out there, we can send you items via your PDA.”

I stood up from the armchair.

“That’s awesome!” I exclaimed. “Thank you both so much for understanding. You do know that you’re the best parents ever, right?”

In response to this, my parents walked over to where I was standing. Together, we shared a hug.

“Hakins…” my father said, pulling away from the embrace. “Your mother and I owe you an apology. We thought that the simulations would be best for you, and we pushed you pretty hard at times, despite the clear signs that it wasn’t meant to be.”

My mother nodded, and stepped away too. “Yes,” she said. “We should have realized that it wasn’t doing you any good battling with Pokemon in that way. We’re just glad that everything has been sorted here.”

“Nonsense,” I replied, shaking my head. “That decision doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that I’ve just been allowed to go out and be in Orre. There isn’t a reason for you to feel bad.”

I smiled.

“Alright, I think I should start packing a bag for tomorrow. And I’m gonna talk to Dustin, see if he’s up for coming with me. Can I get a ride in the morning?”

My parents gave me an incredulous look.

“Of course we’re going to! Who knows what our son will come back looking like after being out there…” my mother said, clearly starting to get more nervous about me leaving.

My father caught this development, and gestured for me to head up to my room to pack while he sat down with my mother, talking reassuredly.

And with that, I headed into my room, closed the door behind me, and began to pack…

* * *

“I would love to go with you!” Dustin exclaimed, a big grin on his face.

It was just past 9PM. I was in a video call with Dustin, and I explained what happened earlier in the day. Dustin’s skin was darker, a sort of caramel brown. He wore a light blue T-shirt and pajama bottoms, his normal outfit consisting of brighter colors. His hair was a darker blond, a tangle of curls in every which direction. He had large eyes, which were a deep blue. He fidgeted around in excitement as he spoke.

“This will be awesome! My parents want me out of the house more often anyways. I’ll be there Hakins! Don’t keep  _ me  _ waiting!”

“I won’t,” I replied, a grin on my face as well. “Get a good rest, and I’ll see you there!”

“Bye!” Dustin ended the call.

Sighing, I looked over at my duffle and suitcase, which were packed with everything that I thought that I needed for a journey through the desert. I thought about it for a moment, and then realized that I wasn’t quite relaxed enough to sleep yet. Nonetheless, I changed into my nightwear and climbed into bed, clapping twice and getting a satisfying feeling as the room went dark. I closed my eyes ready for sleep…

Then an hour passed.

Then another.

Then another.

And I eventually realized that this wasn’t going to work. I climbed out of bed and made my way to the screen door across from my bed.

I quietly slid the door closed behind me, now outside on the balcony that overlooked the ocean. Although heights weren’t my favorite, and the balcony jutted out with a massive drop below, the calm of the night lessened the fear. I relaxed as the wind from the sea swept past me, my spiky hair leaning with the wind. I stepped over to the railing, leaning forwards and looking out into the night sky. I began to think thoughts of Pokemon.

_ What Pokemon will I meet? How will I know which Pokemon to take with me and fight alongside? Will I get to choose my Pokemon? Or maybe it will choose me? What if I don’t want it and it stands in front of me ready to join my party? No. I would still take it, because not doing so is selfish. But what if it didn’t want me? _

I shook my head, quickly realizing that going through scenarios like this would get me nowhere. I turned to walk back into my room, when movement from the right caught my eye. I turned quickly, just in time to see a massive flying Pokemon swoop upwards, the force of the wind behind it knocking me off of my feet.

I looked up just in time to see it flying in the direction of the Cipher ruins, vanishing behind the jagged peaks around it seconds later. I got to my feet, momentarily stunned by what had just occurred. My eyes wandered towards the largest peak on the island, and seeing it snapped me back into reality. I then decided that I had to figure out what it was, or I wouldn’t get any sleep at all. My curiosity as strong as ever, I changed into my normal clothes and grabbed my phone. I then left my house, guiding the front door gently back into place until it closed without a sound. That area wasn’t far from where I lived, so I bolted up the winding road, the streetlights on the road casting my shadow as I ran.

As I went higher up the island, the street lights gave way to a dark dirt road, the treads of vehicles marked in the ground. While the dark was frightening, my determination to get to my destination was stronger. I kept the pace, using my phone flashlight to stay in the right direction. About ten minutes of jogging later, I reached the ruins…

While three years had been enough time to remove most of Cipher’s development on the isle, the sheer size of the Cipher ruins left the task of disposing of it a frightening prospect for the workers. There wasn’t just some lab equipment and a couple of walls to remove like the rest of the Isle; the herculean-sized Sphere didn’t just disappear after the Second Shadow Incident. Therefore, it was agreed that the building would be knocked into the lava below, making usage impossible. And so, three years ago, the Sphere was sunken into the lava.

As time passed, the lava flows were sealed in order to add more space for real estate and make transit more smooth. Opening after opening was closed up, until one particular sealing also cut off the flow of lava to the Sphere. Over time, the violent ocean storms that defined the island extinguished the lava, leaving elevated ground.

Ultimately, the Sphere was shown to still be intact, misshapen and heavily damaged. The wreckage from the Sphere was all over the areas where lava once flowed. The workers ultimately decided to leave it be. They rationalized that on an island full of ocean views, the crater of a volcano might not have been the prime real estate. 

I now found myself standing a couple hundred yards from the crumbling Sphere. I hadn’t really been near it before, and the sheer size of it buried in the ground was astonishing. Even with part of it obscured, it had to be at least 10 stories high. It was flanked on all sides by the rising natural walls of rock, reminding me that I was standing on the bed of a once active volcano. The chunks of wall missing, the full moon shining through it, along with the dents and holes, was beautiful. 

My attention was quickly shifted when I looked down to see that same Pokemon sat down a ways ahead of me, with a figure to its left. The figure was staring intently at the massive structure. The curiosity that overcame me earlier was beginning to give way to fear. My heartbeat sped up, and my fists were clenched. Despite my better judgement, however, I found myself taking small steps towards the stranger. My arms grew weak with fear, and my muscles were so tense that they could not bend in any direction. Each step forwards brought more conflicting emotions, and my focus began to blur from all of the feelings and thoughts. Closer, I got, closer and closer and-

“Moonlight!” the figure shouted.

His Pokemon swung around, and before I had time to react, the moonlight intensified throughout the area, completely illuminating where I was. I froze, too scared to move. My heartbeat was pounding in my throat, and the idea of moving could not get through to the rest of my body.

The mysterious stranger turned around and sauntered into the lit area.

The figure was wearing a Peon outfit, which was produced en masse during the Second Shadow Incident. This one, however, was badly damaged. The armor was broken in several places, with clear weld marks on the chestplate. One of the legs did not have the white armor at all, and in its place was scrap metal. The helmet was shattered on the left side, a half face mask covering the part that would’ve shown the face of this stranger. He wore a grey cloak over the back of this all. This was much more intimidating than any Peon that I had seen in the past years of my life.

“What are you doing here, kid?” the stranger’s deep voice asked, although it was clear to me that he was a young man. He projected an eeriness about him, and I could feel his gaze burning into me through the mask he wore.

I remained silent, too scared to speak. The damaged Peon seemed to twitch.

“Answer me!” he yelled, causing me to flinch. “Or would you rather be shredded to pieces where you stand?”

At saying this, his Pokemon walked into the light, revealing that it was a Noivern. This Pokemon growled loudly, claws outstretched. I could barely muster the strength to blink, but silence brought about the prospect of death.

“Well…your Noivern flew by my house…not that that’s bad or anything…just…uh, I thought I’d investigate...harmless?” I said the last word almost as a question more than a statement. The Peon folded his arms.

“What kind of idiot sees a Dragon Pokemon fly to the center of a volcano, and feels compelled to follow it?”

I let out a defiant shrug.

“Well,” I started. “I…was just…you know…int-”

“Idiotic,” Peon interjected. “Foolish, thoughtless-”

“Alright!” I countered, some force giving me courage. “What do you want, Cipher? What good is this place to you? You’ve lost. There’s nothing left!”

This triggered a reaction from Noivern, who bore its fangs on me. Startled, I jumped back, but the figure raised his hand before the fearsome dragon could advance any further on me.

“I am no Peon, boy.” he said, “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

After a moment, the figure crossed his arms, and his voice quieted again. “When I first wore this armor, I was a pawn. Things are a little different now.”

He turned to briefly stare at the Sphere, and then returned his attention to me.

“Who are you?”

“Hakins.” I replied. “And uh…you are?”

“Zero.” he said. The ex-Cipher Peon walked over to me, now just mere feet in front of me. After a moment, he sighed.

“You will not die tonight, so long as you leave.”

I felt an anger welling up inside of me. I had spent so much of my life being pushed around by men dressed as him. Rational or not, I wanted answers..

“What  _ are  _ you doing here? The Sphere is gone, and all of the equipment has been destroyed.”

I grew still, unsure if I had just sealed my fate.

Zero turned around and took a few steps towards the Sphere, his footsteps echoing in the silence. A strong breeze from my left blew past, making Zero’s cloak drift to the right in the wind. The Moonlight that had been radiating throughout began to dim, my eyes straining to keep focus on the ex-Peon. 

“I came to see what your workers have been doing here” Zero said, still not facing me. “They may have seen Cipher; they may have lost people or Pokemon to their forces, but they came here to build some pampered property without any real idea of how awful this place was. They should’ve let Citadark burn and flood.”

“I…”

I began to try and say something. Something that might justify why things weren’t so bad on the Isle. But I certainly couldn’t be one to talk; I was about to leave it all behind with a smile on my face the next morning.

Living on Citadark the past couple of years had been complicated. I found myself thinking of the limited diet allowed to me. Given that crops could not grow, boats brought supplies from the mainland daily, primarily canned food and other long-lasting products. Produce was available, but it was often tainted by the waves upon arrival to the Isle.

I then thought of Pokemon. There were close to none here. Just like us people, the lack of food would’ve been a problem for them too. The violent storms driving away bird Pokemon. The drastic change of tides sending water Pokemon through whirlpools.

I found the words.

“Just because Cipher built a monolith of evil here doesn’t mean that it has to taint the soil forever. Living here has been hard, but in a few years years time, this will be a much nicer place to live. And that’s because we’ve let go of the past.”

I heard the shuffle of Zero’s armor as he shook his head, folding his arms and gazing up beyond the Sphere that dominated his view, and towards the lustrous full moon.

“How naive,” Zero said. “It’s easy to say that when you didn’t have to see the true monster that Cipher is.”

Zero took a step forwards.

“Did you ever see a Shadow Pokemon for yourself?”

I shuddered. I couldn’t forget it. My family had been living in Phenac city before we moved here. We witnessed a lot of concentrated activity from Cipher over the course of my life there. I had seen the Shadow Pokemon when I was very young; young enough that I was barely reading. My parents were walking with me that day, and then suddenly pulled me to the side of a house. I heard impacts and explosions, and in my childlike curiosity, slipped out of the grasp of my father to see what was going on. I turned the corner to see what lodged itself in my mind forever.

It was a Pokemon battle. A peon dressed in blue was battling a strange young man with a machine on his arm. While the man’s Pokemon was gaining the upper hand. The peon’s creature was ravenous and horrifying. Its screeches rattled my soul, and seeing it ram its head against the walls was equally traumatizing. Even at my age, I could feel the Pokemon suffering. I didn’t sleep soundly for a long time after that.

Because of that single encounter, it took me a long time to feel comfortable with Pokemon battling again. Seeing one would almost always trigger the memory of the self-brutalizing Pokemon. I was likely directed to Battle SIMs from my parents because of this. However, as an adolescent, I came around to caring a lot about the importance of Pokemon in my life, especially as we spent time on Citadark. My battle with Salvator cemented the change in me.

I saw that Zero had turned around, the cracked pieces of his Peon helmet casting a menacing shadow in the moonlight, looking like an urchin atop a ragged pedestal. His arms remained folded, and his voice gritted and deep. I was doing a poor job hiding my reaction to my thoughts.

“I know that look. Now imagine what it was like to not only see those monsters every day, but sit by and watch them scream as the doors to their hearts were violently closed through scientific exploits.”

At saying this, his mouth showed anger, outwards and scowled.

“The world’s top researchers banded together, not to solve the myriad of problems facing our changing world, but in the pursuit of pure power. Bright minds should’ve be used for the betterment of all. Instead the visionary advances in technology that should’ve benefited everyone were modified to infect Pokemon and push the limits of their power. What worked was developed and studied, and the failures were disposed of.”

Zero turned to face Noivern, who up until now had its gaze locked onto me, awaiting any sign of aggression to rip me apart. The dragon’s mustard eyes turned to lock onto Zero, and I could almost sense a sort of respect. There was no warmth in that gaze.

“I believe in making the hard calls. But I will not stand for those who wish to treat the Pokemon of our world as the necessary test rats for humanity’s future.  _ My  _ Pokemon.”

He returned Noivern’s stare. It was clear that this Noivern and Zero had a story far deeper than I could pick up on. Zero once again shifted to face me.

“That’s why I visit places like these. So that I can remember; so I never lose the fire to keep fighting.”

Zero stepped forwards. Another shiver went down my spine.

“I will pry Cipher from this place. Every corner they cower in, every foxhole they hide in. They won’t get away with this.”

I stared in disbelief. No. It couldn’t be.

“Wait,” I said quietly. “Cipher is gone, right? Michael wiped them out years ago-”

“I answered your questions,” he interjected. “We’re done here.”

He stepped away from me, and then turned to Noivern.

“Boomburst!”

A feral shriek, a throbbing ring that filled my head, and then darkness…

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, a sincere thanks to those of you who have read this far. If you have the time, leave a review to let me know what you think, and I hope that you have a great rest of your day!
> 
> \- Pavel


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